A recent survey conducted by Ipsos has revealed that among 29 countries, German citizens are the most concerned about immigration, followed by Turks, Deutsche Welle Turkish service reported on Monday.
The participants in the Ipsos survey, conducted on 20,570 people between Sept. 22 and Oct. 6, were asked, “Which three of the following issues do you find most concerning in your country?”
Forty-four percent of Germans included immigration among the top three issues in their responses, according to the survey results, 11 points higher than the same survey conducted a month earlier.
Among 29 countries, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Canada, India and South Korea, Turkey was the second-highest in terms of concerns about immigration with 41 percent, according to the survey.
Turkey was followed by the Netherlands with 32 percent and the UK with 29 percent. The average for all countries in terms of immigration concerns is 15 percent.
Forty-five percent of Germans considered inflation one of the concerning issues in their country, with 35 percent mentioning poverty and social inequality among their concerns, 28 percent expressing worry about climate change and 21 percent being concerned about crime and violence.
In Turkey, inflation led the list of concerning issues with 55 percent, followed by people expressing concerns about poverty and social inequality (31 percent), crime and violence (23 percent), taxes (20 percent), financial/political corruption (20 percent), unemployment (19 percent), education (19 percent), climate change (14 percent), terrorism (14 percent), moral decline (9 percent), the rise of extremism (7 percent), environmental threats (4 percent), healthcare services (4 percent), COVID-19 (3 percent), the sustainability of social programs (2 percent) and military conflict between countries (1 percent).
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees worldwide. The country is currently home to some 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees.
Refugees in Turkey are frequently targeted by Turkish politicians, who hold them responsible for the social and economic problems in the country. The anti-Syrian rhetoric has gained momentum, especially during the May 14 elections and the May 28 presidential runoff.
